This blog will be a place we can share what we are reading and places we are exploring. I hope you have some recommendations for me and I'll share some of my favorites with you.
Activities at OMS will also be found here because OMS students do amazing things!

August 28, 2009

A project that I have been developing is now "out of the bag" and in my classroom!Kaleb Nation, a new young author, will be releasing his 1st published book 9-9-09. Our English Enrichment class has been chosen to read, review, and respond to Bran Hambric The Farfiield Curse.

Sourcebooks Publishing supplied a hardcover copy at a pre-release date so we could get started. Thanks Sourcebooks!

After a quick introduction to Kaleb and his video blogs, we decided to create a video of this event.Watching this video, you will witness our unscripted, unplanned unveiling of Bran Hambrick The Farfield Curse!

(Video can be seen here and at @ Kaleb Nation & Bran Hambric Facebook pages)

August 23, 2009

You are now officially a 6th grader at Oelwein Middle School! Our first few days together flew by without much time to really settle in and set a routine. Moving from classroom to classroom and meeting new teachers can be challenging. In the next few weeks, the pace and expectations will become familiar and it will seem as if you have always been a middle schooler. Believe it or not, the end of the year will be here before you know it.

Spending time with old friends and meeting new friends makes this a great place to be. I was pleased to see many students volunteering to help others. I heard "Please" and "Thank You " in the hallways, cafeteria, and in my classroom over and over again. Smiles were everywhere!

I hope you were able to rest and relax this weekend. I spent most of my time reading. My favorites this weekend were: The Schwa was Here By: Neal Shusterman and The Sixth Grade Nickname Game By: Gordon Korman. Both books have a middle school setting that we all can relate to. Let me know what you are reading, I'm always looking for a good book.

August 14, 2009

I have been in our classroom this week sorting, cleaning, and planning this year's adventure. Although this is a new school building for all 6th graders, this has been my "spot" for the last 16 years. I have moved rooms, met new friends, said goodbye to old friends, and found that this building has become a special spot to me!

You will be starting the 2009-10 school year finding your spot. Your locker, your classrooms, your seat at lunch, your favorite shelf in the library, will all become part of your "spot" at Oelwein Middle School.

Spots can move, change, and surprise us. Spots can become a place where we laugh, learn, and grow. This year's adventure is about to begin- have fun discovering spots to call your own!

August 6, 2009

School book orders always give me a smile. Today, I opened up the September Scholastic Book Club forms and immediately started a must have-must read list. I love the fact that new releases and old time favorites show up just waiting to join my books in the classroom and at home. The fact that the books are usually less expensive than in book stores is a big plus!

This year, Scholastic is making it easier on students and parents, giving them the ability to buy on-line with our classroom code. You can even see the book list in full detail.No more, "I lost my order form."No more, " I forgot to bring my form to school."

I love seeing the box in the school office and passing out books to students! The new releases are the first ones I read. Some will become old time favorites in no time.

So, start making your list of must haves- it might be available from a book club! I always take suggestions when I put in my order -you might even get to read it before I do if my desk is surrounded with must reads.